WASHINGTON – New York First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer brought her “Greening the Mansion” initiative to Washington, D.C., where she made a presentation Sunday at the National Governors Association’s annual Winter Meeting.

She called on First Families across the country to implement “green” initiatives at their executive residences as part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness about the role that environmentally-conscious buildings can play in fighting global warming.

The “Greening the Mansion” plan includes:

• Clean, Renewable Energy: Solar panels will be installed in three locations on the Executive Mansion's grounds. Solar panels in a parking lot will serve as carports, providing shade and eventually enabling electric vehicles to recharge. Solar panels will be used as a canopy outside a State Police building adjoining the Mansion. A fuel cell system will also be used to power a back-up generator, replacing an existing diesel generator.
• Energy-Efficient Appliances and Equipment: Energy-efficient appliances will replace several existing appliances in the Mansion. This process began with the installation of an energy-efficient washing machine and dryer to replace old and inefficient models. Low-flow showerheads have also been installed to reduce the use of water and many of the existing light bulbs throughout the Mansion have been replaced with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Ecologically Sound Maintenance Practices: The Mansion is phasing in the use of non-toxic cleaning products, mulching lawn mowers that recycle grass clippings in place, extensive recycling, and composting.
• Green Equipment: Mansion staff has started using hybrid electric vehicles, electric lawn mowers and lawn maintenance equipment to reduce exhaust emissions.
• Local and Organic Food Policy: The Mansion has begun purchasing more New York organically-grown produce, including goods from a local food co-op, thereby supporting green-growing methods and avoiding long-distance food transportation. Additionally, the Mansion supports local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which allows consumers to buy a share in a farm and receive fresh local organic produce when it is harvested.

The First Lady encouraged other states to develop public policies that enable more low and middle-income residents to affordably green their homes.